JP4571623B2 - Equipment for the collection and separation of particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for the collection and separation of particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere, the device intended to identify and enumerate such particles and microorganisms.

(Background technology)
Qualitative and quantitative assessment of airborne particles and microorganisms is important in many areas such as the pharmaceutical industry, agricultural food industry, medical care, hygiene services, veterinary services, and the like. The size of the particles and microorganisms to be collected is believed to be in the range of about 0.5 microns (μm) to about 15 μm.

  Biological particles present in the air include, in particular, bacteria, fungi, viruses, pollen, etc., which generally have an impact on nourishing or selective agar, impact on the liquid surface, or Indeed, it is collected by centrifugation in a liquid medium.

  Such particles and microorganisms are collected by impact on agar and then cultured, and the colonies obtained by the culture are counted and identified. The disadvantage of this method is that only viable and culturable microorganisms can be counted in the medium used, while microorganisms already strained by collection, as a result of aspiration or impact on agar, It is not possible to count microorganisms that are strained.

  Therefore, this method can be performed only when a very low air suction flow rate is used in a short time in order to prevent damage to the collected microorganisms and to prevent the agar from drying out. Such air flow is typically less than 100 liters per minute (L / min). The amount of microorganisms measured by this method is generally underestimated.

  When collecting by impact on the liquid surface, particles present in the aspirated air are applied to the wet walls of the chamber and collected at the bottom of the chamber in the form of a liquid sample. The disadvantages of this method are the bubbling of the liquid caused by the air flow and the redispersion of the particles by splashing against the chamber walls.

  When collecting in a liquid medium by centrifugation, the particles are sucked into a cylindrical chamber, rotated in, and then fall into a tube containing liquid. The largest particles are pressed against the chamber walls and collected from the bottom, while the finest particles are carried by the air flow towards the outlet and are not collected. In existing systems, the air flow used is relatively large to ensure that sufficient particles and microorganisms are collected. And since the size and weight of the apparatus (cyclone chamber, air suction means) to be used become comparatively large, and the apparatus becomes a stationary type and is permanently installed, the use which can be implemented with this apparatus is limited. .

  Furthermore, the collected particles are generally collected in a flask at the bottom end of the cylindrical chamber, and the flask is then closed using a stopper. Such a procedure cannot first ensure that all the separated particles are collected in the flask, and then avoid the risk of contamination that occurs while the flask is separated from the cyclone chamber. Can not do it.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for collecting and separating particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere, which combines the advantages of the prior art without presenting drawbacks.

(Summary of Invention)
To achieve this object, the present invention is an apparatus for collecting particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere, and includes means for retaining the particles and microorganisms and means for exhausting the sucked air. The container includes means for aspirating air, wherein the container is removably attached to the device to form a storage container for carrying collected particles and microorganisms.

  Thus, in the present invention, the elements used for the separation and collection of particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere are the same as the elements that carry them for analytical purposes. This reduces handling and reduces the risk of contaminating the collected particles and microorganisms. This also ensures that the analyzed and microorganisms represent 100% of the collected and microorganisms.

  According to other features, the container includes means for automatically closing the orifice at its upper end, these means open while the container is attached to the device and the container is separated from the device. It closes between.

  For example, these self-closing means include an annular diaphragm and means for resiliently returning the diaphragm to a position for closing the open upper end of the container. If necessary, other means can be provided to block one or more orifices for air to enter the container.

  By automatically closing the container when separated from such a device, any danger of contaminating the collected particles and microorganisms is avoided.

  The container can be attached to the device by elastic snapping and 1/4 turn. The automatic closing means can be opened and closed without difficulty by the parallel movement of the container during the elastic snapping or the 1/4 rotation.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the container basically includes a small volume cylindrical chamber of less than about 200 square centimeters (cm ² ) and is carried in the chamber by aspirated air. Built-in type in which particles and microorganisms are separated from air sucked by centrifugation with respect to the inner wall of the container by rotating around the axis of the container, and the container can be transported and operated with only one hand together with the air suction means Configure the assembly.

  As a basic advantage, the device of the present invention is self-contained, has a small capacity and is light in weight, so it can be used anywhere and is therefore not only easy to carry but also one hand Just operate and can be placed in any position and orientation.

  Thus, with this device, samples can be taken continuously from multiple locations, for example, the device can be directed differently from one location to another within the same facility. In particular, the operator can be provided with an apparatus having a plurality of spare containers, and therefore a plurality of samples can be collected one after another in a short time.

  Preferably, the removable container is for a single use, or otherwise comprises a material that can be placed in a pressure cooker.

  A first embodiment of the present invention provides a method for obtaining a liquid sample in which particles and microorganisms are collected and collected in a container while drying, and subsequently processed in a desired manner. Add a predetermined amount of the appropriate liquid.

  In another embodiment of the invention, the apparatus includes means for injecting a liquid into the top of a container attached to the apparatus, said injecting means being, for example, in the means for introducing air into the container It is open to.

  In this way, a liquid sample can be obtained directly from the bottom of the container, the sample containing collected particles and microorganisms.

  In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the device according to the invention is connected to the main part of the container support and / or to the air suction means, a tank of liquid, means for applying pressure to the liquid in the tank, and liquid to the container And a handle for receiving means for connecting the tank to the injection means for injecting into the tank.

  Advantageously, these connection means include means for controlling the flow rate of liquid to the injection means.

  Furthermore, the handle includes control means for controlling the air suction means.

  As a special embodiment of the present invention, the flow rate of air sucked into the container by the suction means ranges from about 200 L / min to 400 L / min.

Using such an apparatus, the sampling can be continued for a few minutes, therefore, to collect particles and microorganisms present in the volume of air in the range a cubic meter (m ³⁾ ~2m 3 it can.

  The apparatus of the present invention can separate and collect particles and microorganisms having dimensions generally in the range of about 0.5 μm to about 15 μm. A suitable filter can be placed at the axial air outlet from the vessel to collect finer particles with dimensions smaller than about 1 μm.

(Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention)
The invention will be better understood and other features, details and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description using examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention will be described.

  The device is self-contained, portable and suitable for operation with only one hand and is basically attached to the main part of the device and includes a cylindrical body 13 and a frustoconical bottom 12. A cylindrical container 10 is included. The container 10 defines a centrifuge chamber and is connected to the air suction means 14. The device is fitted with a handle 16 provided with means for controlling the operation of the air suction means, these control means being for example of a push button or slider type.

  The main part of the device to which the container is attached is directed downwards, including an upper wall 11 having an axial air outlet 18 and an orifice connected to an air inlet duct 22 that opens tangentially into the container 10. And a cylindrical rim 20. The wall 11 is fixed to the suction means 14 and the axial air outlet 18 is formed in the housing of the means 14 and is connected to a suction area that houses a rotor 24 driven by an electric motor. By the rotation of the rotor 24, the suction force in the duct 18 is regenerated, air enters the container 10 through the duct 22, and the air rotates inside the container as indicated by the arrows in FIG. .

  Accordingly, the atmosphere 26 is sucked into the container 10, and particles and microorganisms contained in the atmosphere are separated by centrifugation and deposited on the inner wall of the container 10, and then tapered downward and closed cylindrical. Recovered within the frustoconical bottom 12 of the area that can include the end 28.

  Advantageously, the cylindrical body 13 and the frustoconical bottom 12 of the container form an integral unit that is removably attached to the cylindrical rim 20 by elastic snapping or quarter turn.

  As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the air inlet orifice and the open upper end of the container 10 can be closed by a cap 42 when the container is separated from the device. The closed container then forms a storage container that serves to store the collected particles and microorganisms and transport them to the laboratory for analysis.

  In another aspect, the upper end of the container operates in conjunction with a return spring that operates to open when the container 10 is attached to the device and to close when the container is separated from the device, for example, a camera A self-closing means 29 such as an annular diaphragm of the type used in can be attached.

  In this way, by automatically closing the upper end of the container 10 when separated from the device, any risk of the microorganisms and particles collected in the container 10 being contaminated by external substances is avoided, or vice versa. Avoid any risk that the media will be contaminated by the microorganisms and particles collected in the container 10. Appropriate means are provided for closing the orifice for the introduction of air into the container.

  For added safety, once the upper end of the container 10 is closed by the automatic closing means 29, it can be covered by a cap 42 for storage and transport to the analysis means, as shown in FIG. 3b. .

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the handle 16 of the device comprises a suitable liquid (including an outlet connected to the means 34 for injecting into the upper part of the container 10, including means 32 for adjusting the flow rate. It also contains a tank 30 of water, wet substances, or other liquids depending on the function of the analysis being performed.

  Using the embodiment, the injection means 34 is open in the duct 22 to supply air into the container.

  As another aspect, the main part of the container is oriented in the tangential direction (of the cylindrical rim 20) and is distributed uniformly along the circumference of the cylindrical rim 20, via the opening at the top of the container 10. A plurality of liquid injection orifices open into the interior.

Advantageously, the tank 30 is associated with a means 36 for compressing the liquid to be injected. These means 36 are of any suitable type including, for example, a spring operating on the moving bottom of the tank 30 as shown, compressed gas, and the like. Tank 30 itself can be a “single dose” tank, in other words, a tank that can contain a relatively small amount of liquid sufficient to collect a single sample, and in addition, multiple samples can be stored. It can be a “multi-dose” tank that contains a larger volume of liquid that can be collected continuously.

  The means 32 for controlling the injection flow rate is controlled by a slider or push button 38 held on the handle 16 and in the vicinity there are other push buttons or sliders 40 for controlling the operation of the air suction means 14. is there.

  The handle also houses power supply means for supplying power to the electric motor that drives the rotor 24. These means are constituted by, for example, a rechargeable battery. As another aspect, the electric motor can be supplied with power by connecting to the power supply network.

As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the container 10 has a diameter of about 50 millimeters (mm), the volume of the container including the bottom 12 is about 100 cm ^{3 to} 200 cm ³ , and the means 14 allows air to flow into the container 10. The flow rate sucked into the liquid is in the range of 200 L / min to 400 L / min, and the amount of liquid injected into the container 10 by means 34 each time a sample is taken is from about 5 milliliters (mL) to In the range of about 10 mL, the tank 30 contains 40 mL of liquid, for example (ie 4 to 8 samples can be taken), and the power introduced is 100 Watts (W) to 200 W The total weight of the device is less than 2 kilograms (kg).

  The device is used as follows.

The device can be held by hand, can be oriented in a predetermined direction, or can be placed on a support. In order to collect a sample, the container 10 is fixed to the cylindrical rim 20, and the air suction means 14 is operated using the push button 40. Sampling can continue, for example, for 5 minutes (min), and thus approximately 1 m ^{3 to 3} m ³ of air can be aspirated, while the aspirated air flows through the container 10 around the axis of the container. , And ascends and exits the container via the duct 18, passes through the housing containing the air suction means 14, and is then exhausted to the outside. The liquid can be injected continuously during sampling, or it can be injected for a portion of the sampling time.

  Particles and microorganisms carried by the inhaled air are centrifuged on the inner wall of the container 10 and are thus separated from the aspirated air leaving the container via the duct 18. The liquid injected into the container 10 circulates with the sucked air, and functions to wash the entire inner wall of the container. Collected particles and microorganisms are finally collected in the bottom 12 and the cylindrical end 28.

  After the sample has been taken, the container 10 can be separated from the upper cylindrical rim 20 by unclipping or turning 1/4 as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, and the body 13 of the container 10 Can be covered by a cap 42 that blocks all orifices at the top of the container 10. This provides a small storage container that is hermetically closed and can be stored for analytical purposes.

  And in order to continue sampling, it is sufficient to attach the other container 10 to the upper cylindrical rim 20.

  Due to the small size of the device of the present invention, a set of four or five removable containers can be carried in one bag or case, one or two extra tanks 30 and possibly air suction A second rechargeable battery for powering the motor driving means 14 can be accommodated.

  Alternatively, the air suction means 14 can include a small tank of compressed air, and therefore air can be sucked into the cylindrical container 10 by entrainment. The device can then be used without the danger of an explosion that may occur due to electric sparks.

  As another aspect, air can be sucked into the cylindrical container 10 by connecting the apparatus of the present invention to a suction socket of the type found in certain buildings and hospitals.

  As another aspect of the present invention, the liquid tank 30 and its compression means 36 can be constituted by a syringe controlled manually or semi-automatically.

  The apparatus of the present invention can collect a sample, separate particles and microorganisms in a dry state, and subsequently dissolve the collected particles and microorganisms for analysis purposes in a suitable liquid.

  One such device is shown schematically in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the cylindrical body 13 of the container 10 is closed by an upper cover 44 including an axial air outlet 46, optionally fitted with a self-closing means such as a rubber film or a sealing gasket. The container 10 is attached to the main support 20 by snapping or rotating 1/4. Said support comprises means 22 for tangentially introducing air into the container 10, as in the above embodiment, wherein the air outlet duct 18 communicates with the region in which the rotor 24 rotates, and the handle ( (Not shown) allows the device to be held and operated.

  After taking the sample, the container 10 is separated from the support 20, the orifice for allowing air to enter the container is closed, and the top body is dissolved to dissolve particles and microorganisms deposited on the cylindrical body 13 and the inner wall of the bottom 12 of the container. A predetermined amount of a suitable liquid can be injected into the container 10 via the axial flow duct 46.

  In general, by collecting a relatively large volume of air with the apparatus of the present invention, representative samples of particles and microorganisms present in the air can be recovered.

  The collected sample is packed in a cylindrical container 10 separated from the apparatus and protected from the risk of contamination.

  The concentration factor exhibited by the collected particles and microorganisms dissolved in the injected liquid can be arbitrarily adapted. Sampling time can be adjusted.

  Collected samples are separated from one another and placed in different cylindrical containers 10, thus avoiding the risk of contamination between samples.

  In addition, samples obtained in liquid form can be applied to new analytical methods based on molecular biology, epifluorescence microscopy, flux cytometry, bioluminescence, immunology, and chromatographic analysis techniques . Therefore, assessing the total microbiota in the atmosphere and / or the living microbiota without limiting the assessment of culturable microflora that is present in about 0.1-10% of the total microbiota Can do.

  New analytical techniques that can target samples collected using the device of the present invention allow for a clear examination of bacteria or fungi and, in particular, one species can be reliably verified.

  In addition, the device of the present invention includes a bag as described above that contains accessories such as a removable container, one or more infusion tanks, or another rechargeable battery, and possibly a means for recharging the battery. Along with the case and case, a built-in, portable kit for collecting and separating particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere can be constructed and find use in a very wide variety of very many fields.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. It is a functional diagram of an apparatus. It is a diagram which shows the usage method of an apparatus. It is a diagram which shows the usage method of an apparatus. It is a functional diagram of other embodiments in the present invention.

Claims (19)

An apparatus for collecting and separating particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere,
Comprising a means for sucking air into the centrifugal container having a means for retaining particles or microorganisms (10) (14), means for exhausting the sucked air (18), a
A device characterized in that a container (10) is removably mounted to form a storage container for carrying collected particles and microorganisms. The container (10) includes self-closing means for closing the upper end of the container;
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the automatic closing means opens while the container is attached to the device and the automatic closing means closes while the container is separated from the device.   3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the automatic closing means comprises an annular diaphragm and resilient means for biasing the diaphragm towards the closed position.   4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (10) is attached to the device by elastic snapping or a quarter turn. The container (10) comprises a small volume cylindrical chamber having a volume of less than 200 cm ³ in which particles and microorganisms carried by the sucked air rotate around the axis of the container Separated from the aspirated air by centrifugation against the inner wall of the
The said container comprises the built-in type portable assembly which can be operated using only one hand in cooperation with the air suction means (14). Equipment.   The container (10) is attached to a main upper wall (11) comprising an axial air outlet (18) and a tangential air inlet (22). Equipment. 7. Device according to claim 6 , characterized in that it comprises means (34) for injecting liquid into the upper part (11, 20) of the container. 8. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that the means (34) for injecting liquid is open into a duct ( 22 ) for introducing air into the container. The liquid injection means (34) comprises a plurality of orifices distributed uniformly along the circumference of the rim (20) of the main upper wall (11) and open into the container, The apparatus of claim 7 .   10. A device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the axial outlet (18) of the container is designed to be connected to an air suction socket.   The air suction means (14) is fixed to the main upper wall (11, 20) and sucks air through the axial outlet (18) of the container. Equipment.   A tank of liquid (30), means for applying pressure to the liquid in the tank (36), and means for connecting the tank to means for injecting liquid into the container (34) 12. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a handle (16) for housing the device.   13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the connecting means comprise means (32) for adjusting the flow rate of the liquid towards the injection means (34).   14. Device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the handle (16) comprises control means (40) for controlling the air suction means (14).   15. A removable container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is for a single use or is made of a material suitable for placing in a pressure cooker. The device according to item. Flow rate of air aspirated into the container by suction means (14), wherein a is in the range of 00L / min ～400L / min, apparatus according to any one of claims 1 15. 17. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is for collecting and separating particles and microorganisms having a size in the range from 0.5 [mu ] m to 15 [mu ] m. 18. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means (18) for exhausting air from the container comprises a filter for trapping particles and microorganisms with a size smaller than 1 [ mu] m. . A self-contained and portable kit for separating and collecting particles and microorganisms present in the atmosphere, comprising a removable spare container, at least one infusate tank, and at least one rechargeable battery A kit comprising an apparatus of the type according to any one of claims 1 to 18 together with a bag of accessories comprising:

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